Now the Army Has an Ironic Sexual Assault Scandal of Its Own

A week and a day after it emerged that an Air Force officer who ran a sexual assault prevention program was arrested for allegedly groping a woman, the Army has its own scandal as it investigates a sergeant who ran a similar program at Fort Hood for allegedly running a prostitution ring. The officer “is being investigated for, among other things, forcing a subordinate into prostitution and sexually assaulting two others,” unidentified Capitol Hill staffers told USA Today. Pentagon officials “also confirmed that the sergeant is being investigated for running a prostitution ring.” He’s accused of “pandering, abusive sexual contact, assault and maltreatment ofsubordinates.”

The officer ran the sexual assault prevention program at the battalion level, for about 800 people, so it’s not quite the same as the Air Force lieutenant colonel who ran the program for the entire branch. But the accusations, if true, speak to an apparently more premeditated crime. No charges have been filed, but the soldier has been relieved of hisduties.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Tuesday ordered Army Secretary John McHugh to “fully investigate this matter rapidly, to discover the extent of these allegations and to ensure that all of those who might be involved are dealt with appropriately,” the Associated Press reports. “Hagel also is directing all the services to retrain, recredential, and rescreen all sexual assault prevention and response personnel and military recruiters,” Pentagon spokesman George Little told the AP. Seems like a good place tostart.